UFC champ Daniel Cormier 'totally secure' with career but would consider heavyweight return

When champ Daniel Cormier walks into a fight, he goes in there to win. Which is why, while he won’t rule out a return to heavyweight, it would take some consideration.

Cormier started his MMA career as a heavyweight. While he often looked out-sized by the competition, that never stopped him from winning as proven by the fact he went undefeated in the division. That includes UFC wins over ex-champ Frank Mir and former contender Roy Nelson, as well as a dominant display over Josh Barnett in Strikeforce’s heavyweight grand prix.

It’s been over four years since the UFC’s 205-pound champion performed in the upper division. The heavyweight belt, which at one point belonged to Cormier’s friend and teammate Cain Velasquez, is now with the heavy-handed Stipe Miocic. And its most immediate challenger is scary knockout artist Francis Ngannou.

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Would Cormier be willing to go up against either of the two for a shot at that title, maybe to close out his career?

“It would be the most amazing thing in the world,” Cormier told MMAjunkie Radio.

But … there’s a “but.”

“That would take some thinking,” Cormier said, “some talking and a real solid plan to try to get back to the type of weight that I would need to compete against those guys. Because, again, I’m not going in there to lose and say I gave it my best shot. If I go in there with Miocic or Ngannou, I’m going to win. That’s just who I am.

“So that would just be me and my team really coming up with a solid plan on how I’m going to get up to a healthy, strong, 235, 240 pounds to go and fight those dudes.”

Miocic (17-2 MMA, 11-2 UFC) and Ngannou (11-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC) are set to meet on the same night as Cormier’s (19-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) next title defense against Volkan Oezdemir (15-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC). The heavyweights will fill the headlining spot of the UFC 220 pay-per-view on Jan. 20, while the 205-pound title fight serves as the co-main event.

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In any case, it’s not like Cormier hasn’t done enough to prove himself. Apart from two losses to former 205-champion Jon Jones, one of which was overturned because of a potential doping violation by Jones, Cormier stayed unbeaten, even in the face of top competitors such as Alexander Gustafsson, Anthony Johnson and Anderson Silva.

So, when the champ says he feels satisfied with what he’s accomplished, one can kind of see why.

“I don’t have to do anything else,” Cormier said. “I’m just fighting now because I love this sport. I feel like my career speaks for itself. Independent of anything else. I know I’ve been closely tied with Jones and everything else. But I feel that I’ve done enough to where I feel good, man. I’m not chasing anything else.

“I’m just fighting because I love competition. So, yeah, I’m totally secure in the way my career has been and how it’s going.”

Cormier’s ongoing success is not confined to the octagon, either. This year, he started his duties as a color commentator for UFC broadcasts. So far, he’s done nine full events and, while he never really anticipated he’d be performing this type of job one day, he’s thoroughly enjoying it.

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Part of that evolution probably has to do with the same perfectionist approach that Cormier taks to his athletic ventures. At the end of the broadcasts, for instance, the champ makes sure to ask his producer for pointers and later goes back on them.

Then there’s the fact that, when it comes to fighting, he knows what he’s talking about. Ultimately, though, Cormier wants to have a good time and make sure the viewers have a similar experience, even if the fun comes at his expense every now and then.

“People think it bothers me when they show that video of me after the fight, when I cried,” Cormier said. “That’s what some of those professional wrestling people did. That doesn’t bother me. I’ve used this GIF myself. I’m not above making fun of Daniel Cormier.

“I was talking about that kid that got head-kicked and I go, ‘Listen, I may not be the best guy in the world to talk about head-kick defense, but you have to get the other hand across.’ I went to the telestrator.

“I’m not above making fun of myself, and I think guys can’t take themselves too seriously. And I think that’s why I get text messages from (UFC president) Dana White and the other bosses in the middle of the broadcast telling me that I’m doing a good job.”